Meet The Tribune’s Top 20 Under 40 winners for 2018
Twenty young San Luis Obispo County residents were selected from a field of nearly 100 nominees as winners of The Tribune’s 14th annual Top 20 Under 40 Award.
The competition honors young professionals who do exemplary work in their professions and in their communities. To be eligible, nominees must be under the age of 40 on Jan. 1, 2019, and live in San Luis Obispo County year-round.
A panel of seven judges, led by former Tribune Publisher and senior strategist for AMF Media Group Chip Visci, selected the winners.
This year’s judging panel also included President and CEO of South County Chambers of Commerce Jocelyn Brennan; WhiteFox Defense Technologies CEO Luke Fox; SLO Chamber of Commerce’s Director of Economic Initiatives and Regional Advocacy Melissa James; chief operating officer of Martin Resorts, Margaret Johnson; PG&E Director of Strategic Initiatives Tom Jones; and Market President of 1st Capital Bank Anita Robinson.
“These 20 young professionals have made our community a better, more vibrant place to live and work,” the judges said. “Excelling not only in their day jobs, each one gives generously of their time and talent to help others. We look forward to how much more they will accomplish in the years to come.”
An awards luncheon was held in their honor on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019.
The Tribune congratulates the winners and extends its thanks to all who took part in making the 2018 competition a success.
Here are biographies of the winners:
Erica Andrade
Erica Andrade, 31, is the director and founder of 5 Cities Hope (5CH), a nonprofit that hosts resource fairs, holiday events and support groups for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. In response to the 2016 presidential election, Andrade founded 5CH, providing an inclusive space for marginalized community members. 5CH is in the process of organizing the first Pride Celebration in Arroyo Grande and will be running the first LGBTQIA+ teen support group in South County. Andrade received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for founding 5CH.
In addition to 5CH, Andrade works with community members, ages spanning from elementary school aged to the elderly. Andrade is a substitute special education instructional aide for the Lucia Mar Unified District and the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education. She is also an In Home Support Services care provider.
In her time off, she volunteers as a bike advocate for the Oceano Bike Posse, a grassroots organization that teaches fourth- through sixth-grade students about bike safety and maintenance. She has also helped form the Oceano Beach Community Association, which organizes beach clean-ups and advocates for public safety.
Andrade is the youngest of seven children and is engaged to Denise Aguilar. She has been a resident of San Luis Obispo County for 23 years and has two associates degrees from Cuesta College and earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Arizona State University. She is currently enrolled at Brandman University for a master’s degree in counseling and pupil personnel services credential in school counseling.
Andrea Angelucci
Andrea Angelucci, 39, is the owner of Primary Care Partners-SLO, where she works as a family physician.
Angelucci grew up near Philadelphia and received her undergraduate degree at Stockton College of New Jersey. She completed her residency at the University of Southern California Medicine Residency at California Hospital, Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences. Five years ago, she and her husband moved to Morro Bay and in 2017 she founded her independent practice. She said she opened Primary Care Partners-SLO because she saw a need for a “patient-centered, inclusive family medicine practice.”
As an independent practitioner she feels she can advocate for patients’ rights and speak out against hospital mergers. She also is one of the only physicians in San Luis Obispo County who advocates for access to aid-in-dying medication for terminally-ill patients, which has been difficult to obtain in this region.
Once a month, Angelucci serves as the physician at the Catholic Worker House, a free medical clinic in Guadalupe. She also works once a week with inmates at the San Luis Obispo County Jail because, she said, “we cannot be productive members of society without our health.”
Bushra Anjum
Bushra Anjum, 36, is a senior data analyst for Doximity, after working as a technical lead and software development engineer at Amazon. Anjum, a Fulbright scholar from Pakistan, has made many efforts to increase diversity and encourage women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields globally and locally. She and her husband, Chris Vawter, live in Atascadero.
Anjum has worked with San Luis Coastal Unified School District Elementary Schools, primarily Sinsheimer Elementary School and Hawthorne Elementary, to introduce coding and computing to children through an after-school program. She also speaks at Sinsheimer’s Family Education Night to talk to parents about the future possibilities of STEM careers for their children.
Prior to working at Amazon, Anjum was a computer science assistant professor at the National University of Computer & Emerging Sciences in Lahore, Pakistan. When she moved to the United States, she was an assistant teaching professor at the Missouri University of Science & Technology. Now, she works as a computer science lecturer at Cal Poly. She is also involved in Cal Poly’s Women in Software & Hardware (WISH) club and the Gender Equity Center, where she has established mentoring and retention strategies for women in software and computer engineering.
Anjum is also part of the Cal Poly Scholars Program Committee, which set up an $80,000 gift from Amazon to establish four-year scholarships for computer science or software engineering students. She was a panelist for Cuesta College’s Women in Tech panel and the Cal Poly Gender Equity Center Panel.
Nicholas Beem
Nicholas Beem, 35, is a San Luis Obispo native who graduated from San Luis Obispo High School and enlisted in the Air Force after 9/11. He has been in the Air Force for 16 years, serving one tour in Afghanistan and is awaiting an upcoming deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Beem is currently an operations superintendent of the 216th Space Control Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base with the California Air National Guard. He is the senior enlisted non-commissioned officer under the Director of Operations and is in charge of running operations for the squadron. He has also served a number of leadership positions at the American Legion Post 66.
In addition to military service, Beem is the owner of SLO Camp N Pack, a military surplus and outdoor store in San Luis Obispo. He and his wife, Elise, run the store and have six employees. He and Elise have a daughter, Lydia. The couple are members of the Women’s Legacy Fund Young 100 and supporters of Cal Poly athletics.
Beem was also the president and board member of Exchange Club, which raises funds for youth outreach and scholarship.
Joe Benson
Joe Benson, 39, is the corporate counsel of Mindbody, Inc., which recently entered into an agreement to be acquired by Vista Equity Partners, a San Francisco-based private equity firm.
Benson, his wife Erin and his daughter Carmen, moved to San Luis Obispo three years ago and he has been active in the community from the start. Shortly after his move, he organized a neighborhood walk with Mayor Heidi Harmon to bring attention to a bridge in need of repair, which prompted the city council to fund future repairs for the bridge.
In 2018, he attempted to create a residential parking district that would reduce parking congestion and traffic in his neighborhood. It did not receive enough votes for any action to take place, however, Benson remains committed to serving his neighborhood.
Benson graduated from Pepperdine University with bachelor’s degree in business management and he earned a juris doctorate from Whittier Law School. He was recently nominated for the board of directors for the SLO Bar Association.
He also volunteers his legal service advice at the SLO HotHouse, Cal Poly’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship start-up program.
Danielle Borrelli
Danielle Borrelli, 30, is a San Luis Obispo County native and Cal Poly alum with a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in public policy.
Borrelli is dedicated to giving back to her community by combining her knowledge of cybersecurity and information and her passion for anti-sex trafficking work. Borrelli is the business services coordinator for the Cal Poly- California Cybersecurity Institute. She and her husband, Michael, live in Arroyo Grande.
Borrelli has been working at the cybersecurity institute for 10 years and runs the statewide high school cybersecurity competition, California Cyber Innovation Cyber and is preparing for the third competition in 2019.
She also oversees the development of an anti-human trafficking training course for law enforcement, first responders and advocates. In partnership with Polaris and AEquitas, two nonprofits that help gender-based violence and human trafficking survivors, more than 50 law enforcement officers and prosecutors nationwide were trained to identify victims in illicit massage businesses. The second installment of the program focused on training local advocates and business owners, as well as working with human trafficking survivors.
Borrelli’s anti-trafficking work also extends beyond training. She sits on the Advisory Counsel for Freedom Calling, a nonprofit that provides housing, outreach, prevention and enterprising solutions to sex trafficking survivors. She helps with fundraising events and participates in bimonthly outreach to local illicit massage businesses. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Central Coast Freedom Network and serves as Housing Committee Chair for the District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Task Force.
Angela Cisneros
Angela Cisneros, 39, is the general manager of K-Jons Diamonds & Gems and has been for the past 21 years. She was hired out of high school at an entry-level position and now runs nearly every aspect of the store.
Cisneros received a bachelor’s degree in child development from Cal Poly. She’s also a certified gemologist through the American Gem Society and a graduate gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America, which enables her to grade and identify diamonds and colored gemstones.
In 2016, Cisneros was a member of the first Leadership North County classes, learning more about Diablo Canyon, Camp Roberts, Twin Cities Hospital and local government.
Cisneros is the 2019 Chair of Atascadero Chamber of Commerce, bringing with her 12 years of experience as the chamber ambassador.
The native resident also volunteers at the Atascadero Library and is part of the volunteer-run fundraiser show Dancing With Our Stars. She’s also served at the youth mentor at Atascadero’s First Assembly of God church for 15 years.
Kelly Donohue
Kelly Donohue, 32, has volunteered and worked in nonprofits both locally and globally for the past six years. The Pismo Beach resident graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in psychology, concentrating in the psychology of marketing and design.
Donohue was first introduced to her passion for nonprofit and community work while serving as an Americorps member with San Luis Obispo’s Creative Meditation. After her Americorps service, she began working for Willshire Health and Community Services, where she is a creative media brand strategist.
Through her position, Donohue created the “Before I Die” exhibit in Downtown San Luis Obispo on Higuera Street open the conversation around death. She took the lead on a storytelling project for older adults to share their life experience and she helped spur the annual Dia de Los Muertos event in Mission Plaza.
She is a founding member of SLO U40 and a member of the Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Vision Committee, where she helped create a 10 year economic plan for the chamber, focusing on innovation, maintaining the integrity of San Luis Obispo and inspiring future generations.
On a global scale, Donohue worked with the Girl Empowerment program in June 2018 through the nonprofit African Impact in Tanzania. She facilitated workshops and educated women and girls about health and wellness, social issues and taught English. She also raised money to support entrepreneurial women in Tanzania.
Aaron Gomez
Aaron Gomez, 39, was born and raised in San Luis Obispo and now serves on the San Luis Obispo City Council, elected in 2016. Gomez and his brother, Devin, co-own Gold Concept Jewelry and Design. He and his brother took over their father’s business 10 years ago.
As a City Council member, Gomez is proud of the progress San Luis Obispo has made in sustainability. He pushed heavily to adopt a ban on single-use plastic water bottles and single-use plastic cups on public property. The single-use plastic ban and the “straws upon request” policy were both adopted in early 2018.
Gomez formerly served on the Downtown SLO board, the Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee and Sustainability and Resources committee, Issues Evaluation Committee and chaired the Parking and Access Committee. He was also a part of the Steering Committee for SLO U40 when it began.
Ann Hansen
Ann Hansen, 33, is the vice president and commercial and ag banking officer at American Riviera Bank. Hansen helped her employer open the first full-service branch in San Luis Obispo County in February of 2018.
Prior to working at the American Riviera Bank, Hansen worked for Heritage Oaks Bank in Paso Robles for 10 years. Heritage Oaks Bank nominated Hansen to attend the University of Washington’s prestigious Pacific Coast Banking School, where she earned a graduate degree in banking and a leadership certificate from the Foster School of Business.
Hansen graduated from Cal Poly with an undergraduate degree in agricultural business, concentrating in finance and appraisals. Her love of agriculture led her to serve as a board member and president of San Luis Obispo County CattleWomen. In 2014 she was named the San Luis Obispo CattleWoman of the Year and has volunteered at the California Mid-State Fair Junior Livestock Auction. She has also served as a Paso Robles Pioneer Day Committee board member.
Hansen and her husband, Bryce, now live in Paso Robles, where she is the Rotary Club treasurer and a member of the club’s investment committee. Hansen is the current San Luis Obispo County Parks & Recreation Commission vice chairperson, where she helps advise the Parks and Recreation Department and county Board of Supervisors on local park needs.
Michael Hopkins-Tucker
Michael Hopkins-Tucker, 25, is the oldest of six children and the youngest award winner this year. Hopkins-Tucker is the first-ever policy analyst for Peoples’ Self Help Housing, advising the company on housing regulations and legislation affecting the federal, state and local levels.
He graduated from San Jose State University with a political science degree and moved to San Luis Obispo two-and-a-half years ago, where he lives with his wife, Rebekkah.
Hopkins-Tucker is a strong advocate for affordable housing in San Luis Obispo and played an active role in helping the Coalition of Housing Partners’ efforts to reform the county’s current housing policies.
He also serves on the Human Relations Commission. And after the blackface incident at Cal Poly last year, he created a diversity subcommittee to try to make San Luis Obispo a “more welcoming and inclusive place for all people.” The group has worked with Harmon and the San Luis Obispo Police Department’s Police and Community Together Team (PACT) to open up dialogue within the community.
He is also a member of the SLO U40 Steering Committee. As a committee member, he worked to inform and educate potential voters during the election season.
Jennifer Idler
Jennifer Idler, 39, has served her family-run business, Idler’s Home, as human resources and events director, problem solver and positivity enforcer for the past six years. The family business was recently awarded Santa Maria Large Business of the Year by the San Maria Chamber of Commerce.
Idler graduated from Cal Poly with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture science. She is the mother of two daughters, Regan and Taylor, and lives in Atascadero. Idler is the co-chairperson for the Atascadero Women in Business Council and a member of Central Coast National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). She volunteers through the Paso Robles Rotary Service and has organized silent auction fundraisers to benefit youth organizations in North County. She is especially passionate about giving back to local youth, service men and women and the Humane Society.
Idler also organized Put Your Money Where Your Life Is, a campaign that urges residents to shop local. Idler’s Home gives a portion of the profits made during this campaign to local nonprofits or Relay for Life. This year will be Idler’s ninth as co-captain of the Idler’s Home Relay for Life Team to fundraise for cancer treatment.
Ryan Lawrence
Ryan Lawrence, 38, is dedicated to performance art and shared his passion with San Luis Obispo County in a number of ways. The husband and father of two daughters, Inke and Fenne, and a son, Tijmen, is the co-owner of SLO Movement Arts Center (SLOMAC), co-artistic and executive director of Movements Arts Collective and owner and physical therapist at the Movements Art Clinic. He and his wife, Maartje, founded SLOMAC in 2015 and the nonprofit Movement Arts Collective in 2017.
Lawrence grew up in San Luis Obispo and earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from The Juilliard School in New York. He later earned a degree in physical therapy from Hogeschool Thim van der Laan in Nieuwegein, Netherlands, and has tied together dance and artistic movement with healing and physical therapy.
Lawrence was a participant in the 2018 SLO Leadership program and was involved in the Anholm Bikeway project. He has also found ways to give back to the community through his business.
Lawrence collaborated with United Cerebral Palsy, the Manse on Marsh and the Autism Spectrum Centre to provide free movement workshops to the various groups the organizations help. He also participates in Art After Dark.
Bonnie Loftus
Bonnie Loftus, 38, a Cal Poly dairy science alumna began catering right out of college and is now president of Fred Sweeny MSF BBQ Inc., which includes Bonnie Marie’s Catering and Jimmy’s Watering Hole and Catering (found at the annual Paso Robles California Mid-State Fair.)
When she isn’t running a catering company, she helps her husband, Claude, run their San Luis Obispo beef cattle ranch and is a member of the SLO County CattleWomen’s Association.
For the past three years she has donated her time and meals to Cuesta College by preparing food for the College Night presenters and has made several raffle item donations for local fundraisers. She also has assisted with the annual Cal Poly Rodeo.
Loftus is a mother of three daughters, Hazel, Elise and Ada Marie, and is on the Templeton Parent Teacher Organization board, where she has helped coordinate fundraisers for the Templeton School District’s annual gala. She also helps with and has coached her daughters’ sports and 4H programs.
Shannon McOuat
Shannon McOuat, 39, serves a number of roles in the community, including volunteer services director for Hospice of San Luis Obispo County. McOuat is also a board member for Pregnancy and Parenting Support, formerly named Alpha, and has been since 2016.
McOuat grew up in San Luis Obispo and now lives in Los Osos with her husband Adam, and three sons, Logan, Kyle and Ian.
Prior to her current job, McOuat worked at Transition Mental Health Association for seven years, overseeing marketing, outreach, fundraising and volunteers. She organized two annual fundraisers that brought in $100,000 a year for the nonprofit. She coordinated events for the annual Journey for Hope Forum and focused on bringing together local organizations in support of one another.
McOuat began working for Hospice of SLO County in 2018 and has continued to focus on working with other nonprofit partners. She recently trained to become an end-of-life doula for the organization.
McOuat was the former chair of the Suicide Prevention Council of San Luis Obispo County and has been involved in and organized several events regarding suicide among LGBT youth.
April Nolan
April Nolan, 37, has literally helped many in the San Luis Obispo community find and develop a voice for themselves. Nolan is a speech language pathologist and the owner of Beyond Speech Therapy.
When she began her practice, she was a solo practitioner, but has since expanded to eight therapists and two interns, as well as other staff members. She noticed a need for speech pathology in SLO County across all age groups and decided to fill that need. She has spoken as a guest lecturer at Cal Poly, at hospital presentations, health fairs and clinics to educate the community about her work.
Nolan has her master’s in education with a dual certification in education and communication disorders. She is also nationally credentialed with the American Speech Language and Hearing Association with certified clinical competence and is applying to the Member Advocacy Committee to advocate for legislative issues and patient benefits.
She and her husband, Max, two sons, Cal and Conner, and daughter, Natalie Kate, live in Paso Robles. Nolan has been the president of the Trinity Lutheran School Parent Teacher Booster Club for two years and has been involved with the club for six years. She has helped organize the annual gala fundraiser, harvest festival fundraiser and more. During the 2017-18 school year, the fundraisers brought in $96,000 for school programs, and Nolan was awarded Volunteer of the Year by the school.
She and her son Cal volunteered in distributing items for events such as Coats for Kids, Toys for Tots and local food drives. She and her family also volunteer at Atascadero Bible Church events.
In addition to volunteering, Nolan serves on the board for the Atascadero Optimist Club, an organization that raises money for local students to provide scholarships to students attending two year colleges.
Michael Parolini
Michael Parolini, 39, has worked as a principal structural engineer and managing partner of Smith Structural Engineers in San Luis Obispo and Fresno for seven years. He is also a part-time College of Architecture and Environmental Design lecturer and architectural engineering advisory board member at Cal Poly, where he graduated with a bachelor’s in architectural engineering. He and his wife, Kelsey, live in San Luis Obispo, where Parolini has been a resident for 20 years.
Parolini’s structural engineering firm has designed many buildings throughout San Luis Obispo County, including the Los Osos Water Recycling Facility, Arroyo Grande Police Department expansion, Paso Robles Pavilion and Firestone Walker expansion. He is also a member of the Structural Engineering Association of California.
A year after moving to San Luis Obispo, Parloini was already involved in coaching baseball and served as a member of the executive board of San Luis Obispo Little League. This led to his involvement in the city of San Luis Obispo Advisory Body for the Joint Use of Recreational Facilities. He was later appointed to the Parks and Recreation Commission.
His love of recreation and baseball also led to his involvement with the nonprofit SLO Baseball Alliance Foundation Board and a local summer collegiate baseball team.
Greg Squires
Greg Squires, 35, is president and chief executive officer of the Parable Group, a data-driven Christian marketing agency. Squires bought the company in August 2018 from founder Steve Potraz. Prior to the Parable Group, Squires developed a digital marketing agency at Shopatron and worked with more than 100 brands, including Melissa & Doug and Polaris.
Squires moved to San Luis Obispo to attend Cal Poly where he graduated with a degree in industrial technology. Since then he has been actively involved in the community. Squires has served on the Calvary SLO Church leadership and financial stewardship teams for 10 years.
In Atascadero, where he now lives with his wife, Carrie, daughters Ellie, June and Margot and son Keith, he organized an annual Thanksgiving food drive.
He has also served communities abroad. From 2005 to 2006, he taught English to children in China and in 2017, he led a work group to Ghana to build a computer lab for a community school.
Sondra Williams
Sondra Williams, 38, owns not one, but two local businesses in Paso Robles where she lives with her husband, Keith, and their four children, Niya, Keith, Kassim and Lennox.
Through her businesses, Twisted & Glazed and Roaming Roe Traveling Fashion, she has been able to set up clothing exchanges, fundraise for children and reach out to community members in need. She has also ensured that Christmas mornings are a reality for families that would otherwise not be able to afford presents for their children during the holidays.
For seven years, WIlliams was the cheer president of the Paso Robles youth football and cheer league and was awarded the Positive Coaching Alliance National Double-Goal Coach Award for her dedication to the program. She also worked as the Lewis Middle School cheer coach for two years. During her time coaching, she organized several fundraisers, including “Rally for Riley,” a fundraiser for a cheer coach battling ovarian cancer.
The mother of four is also a registered nurse, earning her degree from Cuesta College and working for Central Coast Home Health. In 2015, she was honored with the Daisy Award, given to her for her outstanding care for patients. And prior to home health, WIlliams worked at a local Emergency Department for more than 11 years.
Amanda Wittstrom Higgins
Amanda Wittstrom Higgins, 36, is vice president of operations at Ancient Peaks Winery. At Ancient Peaks, Wittstrom Higgins created an internship program to mentor students and graduates interested in the wine industry. In 2018, Wittstrom Higgins also founded Dream Big Darling, a nonprofit dedicated to mentoring women who want to pursue a career in the wine and spirits industry. An inaugural auction they held raised $100,000. The money will fund scholarships to Dream Big Darling’s professional development retreat.
Wittstrom Higgins’ commitment to the wine industry does not stop there. She co-founded Wine Speak Paso Robles, a trade event that helped raise the region’s profile. With her help, Ancient Peaks wine has grown and now distributes to 44 states in the United States, as well as international markets. She also created a Hospitality Day, a workshop for hospitality leaders in the area.
Wittstrom Higgins has also served on the SLO Cal board, SLO Wine Country Association Board and the Paso Wine Country Alliance Board.
She and her husband, Sam Higgins, are both native to the San Luis Obispo area and live in Cambria with their son, Cooper, and daughter, Cecilia.
This story was originally published February 7, 2019 at 6:27 PM.